Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.

So why then, without a religious bone in his body, has Trump become a master of it?

Profound statements stand the test of time; no truer in this moment are they than these words of Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer). What’s intriguing in the world of perpetual ‘breaking news’ is that the Trump messaging machine has been successful in diluting what we should be paying attention to. They are deliberately using misdirection and information overload to elicit cultural outrage. For this administration, muddying the waters is becoming vital, not to their progress, but to their very survival.

I’ve spoken many times about the importance of independent news and commentary sources. What I have NEVER done, nor will I ever, is suggest that journalists who report under a corporate banner are somehow irrelevant or, worse still, irrelevant in a space dominated by social media influencers. It’s a lazy, disingenuous claim designed to get people to subscribe to outlets that all too often fail to give credit to the journalists who are the actual sources of their news aggregation.

I want to place on record my deep respect for the professional journalists who work hard to deliver high-quality reporting based on time-consuming investigation and research. I know from personal experience how long it takes. For this very reason, I invest in the many publications they contribute to each month to support their work. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, and as in all professions, there are the good and the bad. However, bad is not defined by a corporate umbrella. The more truth the better is my position, regardless of the source.

I have never, nor would I claim to be, a journalist. I am certainly not so arrogant as to claim the work of others as my own. I am very happy to be a political commentator who delivers honest, researched, fact-checked commentary with attribution that reflects my sources, who I am and the values I hold. There’s a big difference between a business and a vocation, but I always remain grateful to those who help fund this vocational work.

I know I’m often noted as the guy delivering bad news, someone not prepared to attempt to put lipstick on a pig, and I make no apology for that. The fact is, truth, regardless of how uncomfortable it might be, has no political allegiance; irrespective of its ability to evoke emotion. I have always said I’d be the first person to celebrate optimism when I stumbled upon it, and you will have hopefully noticed a little more optimism in my recent posts; this one is no exception.

The struggle for freedom is never easy, and our joint effort is no exception. History tells us that fighting for what’s right is demanding and can be dangerous at times. This has become a war of attrition in which a president governs for the top 1%, with the 9% below them benefiting from the wealth transfer on its way to the top. The problem the top 10% face is that they become vulnerable to challenges from the large, increasingly not-so-silent majority.

As activists fighting the Trump tyranny, we don’t face a lack of social media enthusiasm, but rather America’s rampant addiction to retail consumption. It is this simple fact that insulates much of the wealthy and corporate America from threatened economic blackouts. We have seen examples of corporate boycotts that have had a targeted impact on specific companies. A great example was the Disney boycott following the removal of the Jimmy Kimmel show. It provided proof that focusing economic disengagement on a single target can be very powerful. It delivers a dopamine hit to the activist community, as did bringing 7 million Americans onto the streets for No Kings Day. Few things match the political sugar rush that leads activists to believe they are winning the war. What’s more, it’s psychologically vital.

The truth, however, is that Corporate America is far more resilient than the dreams of a dedicated group of activists. In February this year, during the last ‘spending blackout’, Amazon sales increased by around 3%. Far from having an impact, it merely served as a free ad for the likes of Amazon. While the coalition of the current economic blackout has extended their spending freeze campaign to cover Black Friday and Cyber Monday, early evidence shows that, according to Adobe Inc’s data, Online spending rose 9.4% through 6:30 pm ET on Black Friday compared with last year. It’s thought that once the numbers are finally tallied, US spending will be between $11 and $12 billion.

Humans can’t help themselves when it comes to a bargain. It’s like the diabetic who concludes that they would rather eat the cakes and lose a foot, because they’ll still have one foot left. It’s the same mentality as a boss telling an employee that, if they take a pay cut, they can save their fellow workers’ jobs. Far too many would rather buy their fellow workers a leaving present than take the pay cut. You are deluded if you believe corporate America does not do a lot of work to mitigate against attacks on its profits. Maximised profit is in their DNA. Why do you think they price-gouged Americans after the COVID pandemic? Moral decency has long left the building.

They spend millions studying the psychology that drives consumer spending. Tragically, they know you better than you know yourself when it comes to your spending habits. Corporate America holds swathes of anonymised data that, while not necessarily identifying you by name, can identify your demographic makeup. This enables them to know what pushes your buttons when it comes to unlocking your pocketbook. We need to stop living in a world where we overestimate our ability to effect change, because unless we campaign en masse, it has only a nominal impact. At the moment, the top 10% is generating 49% of all US consumer spending, and you won’t find many economic activists in that demographic. Their Christmas will be just fine.

As I have discussed in posts before, the people DO have the power to hurt Corporate America. However, it has to be a unified approach led by a simple targeted message that takes into account the risks to low-income workers. It’s about targeting ALL high-margin luxury goods, holidays, travel, white goods purchases, along with motor vehicles. Don’t stop ordering low-value goods online to support delivery drivers. Support local businesses wherever possible. Streaming services are a great target because attacking them attracts corporate media coverage.

The objective is about DEFERRED SPENDING, leaving the money in your bank until you decide to spend it after the objective has been met. Of course, there is much more that can be done, for example, a people’s run on the banks. It’s all about coordination, and that’s the single biggest challenge.

It’s all about what I call smart shopping. Sadly, we’re a lazy bunch, and everything in our lives is built around a drug called ‘convenience’. With the best will in the world, a coalition of Democratic activists, all chasing social media glory for their efforts, is unlikely to have any significant impact. In all honesty, they will be lucky to get through the campaign without falling out among themselves. The pragmatist in me applauds their intent, but it’s too often just well-meaning wasted energy.

So, where’s the optimism you speak of, Martin? I hear you cry. My optimism is born of the fact that the Trump grip on the Republican caucus is slipping, but it’s also born of the impending economic stress, which may, at first, seem perverse given the pain it will rain on millions. There’s no question that Trump is hiding the GDP and job numbers for good reason, because I suspect that if revealed, they would show close to, if not, an economic contraction, which totally contradicts his fantasy economic narrative.

The US debt now stands at $38 trillion. As noted by Akrur Barua (Associate Vice President | Deloitte Services India Pvt. Ltd.) for deloitte.com

[US debt is currently] 20% higher than the nation’s nominal GDP and larger than the combined output of the next four biggest economies.² Unsurprisingly, concerns around debt sustainability are mounting—among both investors and onlookers, both domestically and abroad—given the role of US Treasury bonds as the world’s primary safe asset.³ These worries come at a time when US trade protectionism is also rising.

John Zadeh from discoveryalert.com makes some important critical observations in a piece he wrote on August 27th 2025. John notes :

The volume of debt requiring refinancing within a compressed timeframe creates logistical and market challenges unlike anything seen before. The federal government must find buyers for trillions in new securities while simultaneously rolling over existing debt.

He goes on to note:

Higher rates significantly increase the cost of servicing both new and refinanced debt, potentially creating a dangerous feedback loop where interest payments consume an ever-larger portion of the federal budget.

He concludes:

Perhaps most concerning is the retreat of traditional foreign government buyers, creating a dangerous funding gap.

The critical point I’m trying to make here, is that foreign central banks, along with traditional foreign investors in US debt, have lost their appetite for US debt, and that is a HUGE problem for Trump. This is why we are seeing them scramble to support stablecoins as an escape hatch. In this regard, I would suggest you read this piece by The Brookings Institute on October 29th 2025, by Sonja Davidovic, Tarek Ghani, and Mariano Moszoro, entitled:

The rise of stablecoins and implications for Treasury markets

I would draw your attention to this segment of the abstract summary:

While stablecoins offer fiscal advantages and efficiency gains, they can also introduce systemic risks, regulatory arbitrage concerns, and currency substitution threats, necessitating rigorous regulatory frameworks and international policy coordination.

The burning question is the requirement for rigorous regulatory frameworks. Expecting Trump to regulate stablecoins responsibly would be like inviting the town arsonist to the firehouse Christmas party, expecting him not to set the building on fire. The dangers are pretty evident, but don’t rule out his attempting to stiff the global markets.

Returning to my perverse optimism when it comes to the economy, it is based on the fact that Trump WILL crash the economy, and if he does, Republicans will be queueing up to impeach and remove him from office. The problem is that this upside comes with a substantial economic downside for everyday Americans who will suffer significant financial distress. There is no question that it would also prove catastrophic for the working poor and the vulnerable. It’s another good reason for immediate economic disengagement, in order to save money for when the collapse occurs, which it will. My big fear is that it may be too little too late for far too many.

The US is in desperate need of a reset, and an economic crash may well prove the only escape from this tyranny. The best outcome would be for Democrats to take back the House before the collapse occurs, but that seems like a long shot to me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts and observations. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME WHEN SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT REPORTING HAS BEEN SO IMPORTANT. I deliver a post to my community most days. If you appreciate my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help offset some of the associated costs. It really does make a big difference